Epigenetic Regulation of Gene Expression Research

Understanding the molecular and genetic mechanisms of how genes are regulated is fundamental to all areas of biology. In this research focus, genetic principles are applied to investigate basic mechanisms of transcription, gene expression, transcription factor interactions with DNA, chromatin structure, protein-protein interactions that regulate gene activity, and mechanisms that function to regulate epigenetic inheritance. A recent emphasis on chromatin structure and epigenetics highlights exciting work in this area. A broad range of systems are studied and include: regulation of the genes of mammalian immune systems; regulation of visual system genes; mechanisms of transcriptional initiation and elongation; dosage compensation in Drosophila; role of oncogenes and tumor suppressors; mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance and role of chromatin insulators, epigenetics of neurons, and regulation of genes involved in bacterial differentiation and pathogenesis. State-of-the-art technologies, including deep sequencing approaches to uncovering and dissecting the epigenomes of many model organisms, are used routinely by many of the laboratories below.